Description
The Park City Wind development (50-50 partnership of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Avangrid Renewables) is an 804 megawatt offshore wind farm that will be composed of 41 – 62 wind turbines. Park City Wind, supplying approximately 14% of Connecticut’s electricity, will power approximately 400,000 homes per year and cut greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 1.59 million tons annually. This project’s anticipated construction start date is January 2026.
The project is Phase 1 of the New England Wind project (formerly Vineyard Wind South). Phase 2 is the Commonwealth Wind Project.
Location
Park City Wind will be located 37 km off the coast of Massachusetts. It will export power via two export cables which will make landfall in the town of Barnstable, Massachusetts. Park City Wind will have a grid connection location of West Barnstable Station.
Licensing Information
- 2022, December: Section 404/10 Application with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Completed
- 2022, December: Complete Individual Permit Application Submitted with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- 2022, October: OCS Air Permit NOI submitted with USEPA
- 2022, August: Individual Permit Application/ENG Form 4345/Joint Application Form Submitted
- 2022, July: ITA Permit Application with NMFS deemed complete
- 2022, May: Chapter 91 Waterways License and Dredge Permit / Water Quality Certification (Section 401 of the CWA) Application Filed with Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
- 2022, April: Conservation and Management Permit (Massachusetts ESA Determination) Issued with National Heritage and Endangered Species Program
- 2022, January: Final Environmental Impact Report pursuant of the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA)
- 2021, February: Special Use Permit 17-003 Renewal Application Permit with Massachusetts Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources Approved
- 2020, May: General Law Ch. 164, § 72, Approval to Construct General Law Ch. 40A, § 3 Zoning Exemption Petitions Filed with Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities
- 2020, May: General Law Ch. 164, § 69 Approval Petition Filed with Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board
- 2017, December: Interconnection Authorization Request Submitted with ISO New England
Project Timeline
- 2027, December: Anticipated to be Fully Commissioned
- 2026, January: Anticipated Offshore Construction Start
- 2022, December: Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) Published by BOEM
- 2022, December: NMFS ESA Consultation Anticipated
- 2022, September: NMFS ESA and EFH Consultation Packages Submitted
- 2022, June: Development of Regional Impact Review Applications Filed with Cape Cod Commission (Barnstable County) and Martha’s Vineyard Commission
- 2022, April: Addendum to Construction and Operations Plan (COP) Filed
- 2021, December: Revised Construction and Operations Plan (COP) Filed
- 2021, June: Revised Construction and Operations Plan (COP) Filed
- 2021, June: NEPA Environmental Review Initiated
- 2020, July: Construction and Operations Plan (COP) Filed
- 2018, May: Offtake Conditionally Secured
- 2017, March: Site Assessment Plan (SAP) Submitted
- 2015, January: Site Exclusivity Obtained
Key Environmental Issues
Extensive environmental surveys have been conducted up and down the East Coast. All ecological aspects of the wind farm have been investigated and the results of those studies will be included in permit applications. Measures will be taken to minimize the ecological impact of the wind farm.
BOEM’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) assessed the potential biological, socioeconomic, physical, and cultural impacts that could result from the construction, operations and maintenance, and decommissioning of the New England Wind project (Phase 1 is Park City Wind). Recommendations (alternative options) were detailed on how to best monitor and reduce the project impact on the surrounding area.
Metadata Documents
Environmental Papers and Reports
- New England Wind Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) (BOEM Office of Renewable Energy Programs 2022)
- New England Wind (OCS-A 0534) Construction and Operations Plan (Epsilon Associates Inc. 2022)
Environmental Monitoring: Park City Wind
| Phase | Stressor & Receptor | Design and Methods | Results | Publications | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline | Invertebrates | Grab Sampling and Analysis and Underwater Video Benthic grab samples were collected within the New England Wind project area on from 2016, 2017, and 2020. Sample analysis (and quality control) were conducted. Underwater video surveys were conducted in 2018. Grab sampling and video surveying methods were implemented in the 2019 survey. | Complete In 2016, the benthic community consisted of polychaete worms, bivalve mollusks, nematode roundworms, nemertean ribbon worms, common sand dollars, and crustaceans including amphipods, cumaceans, ostracods, and isopods. In 2017, the most abundant taxon was Nematoda, followed by Caprellidae, Tellinidae, and Oligochaetes. The 2018 survey found the more complex and species rich habitats tend to be found within the higher currents of Muskeget Channel. In 2019, sampling locations consisted of muddy sand, sand, or sandy mud. Infaunal structures, burrows, macrofauna, and shells made up most of the remaining surface area. Sea stars were the dominant benthic macrofauna. Infauna was dominated by the Arthropoda phylum followed by the Annelida phylum. | Epsilon Associates Inc. 2021 | No data publicly available |
| Baseline | Fish, Marine Mammals, Reptiles | Acoustic Assessment and Analysis To estimate potential effects to marine fauna from anthropogenic sound generated during New England Wind pile installation, the following modeling steps were used: 1. Modeled the spectral and temporal characteristics of the sound output from the proposed pile driving activities using the industry; 2. Acoustic propagation modeling that combined the outputs of the source model with the spatial and temporal environmental context to estimate sound fields; 3. Animal movement modeling integrated the computed sound fields with species-typical behavioral parameters to estimate received sound levels for the modeled animals that may occur in the operational area; 4. Estimated the number of potential injurious and behavioral level exposures based on pre-defined acoustic thresholds/criteria. | Complete The endangered North Atlantic right whale is predicted to experience fewer than four injurious exposures during the combined installation of Phases 1 and 2 of the New England Wind project. Fewer than one sea turtle is predicted to be exposed to sound levels exceeding injury threshold. Acoustic results indicate that ranges to potential injury for fish with swim bladders not involved in hearing are small. | Epsilon Associates Inc. 2022 | No data publicly available |
| Baseline | Fish | Video Surveys and Simulations Seasonal video and trawl surveys were conducted in the New England Wind project area in 2020 and 2021. Simulations of typical and maximum impact cable installation methods in the project area were utilized. | Complete Overall, impacts to essential fish habitat (EFH) in the project development area are anticipated to be short-term and localized during construction and installation of New England Wind. Temporary noise from pile driving could potentially impact all species with EFH during construction. The use of a soft start during pile driving will give fish in the area time to avoid the noise source before full impact strikes are made. Sound reduction technologies will be used to minimize impacts. | Epsilon Associates Inc. 2022 | No data publicly available |
| Operations | Displacement Birds | Bird Protection Plan Piping Plover protection plan that addresses measures to protect state-listed species and their habitats during the nesting season (April 1 – August 31) and a contingency plan in the event problems arise during the HDD cable installation. Monitoring intensity will increase with increasing proximity of nests and/or chicks relative to the work zone, and will also increase with increasing frequency of chick observations. | Planned Results pending | Epsilon Associates Inc. 2022 | No data publicly available |
| Operations | Habitat Change Physical Environment | Benthic Monitoring Plan Six habitat zones in the New England Wind project area will contain two randomly placed benthic monitoring sites. At each site, video and multibeam echo sounder surveys will be performed, with the long axis oriented perpendicular to the easternmost export cable and the short axis oriented parallel to the cable alignment. Four grab stations will be sampled along a gradient extending east from the impact area. Stations will be positioned within the impact area immediately adjacent to the impact source. Three control stations will be located an additional approximately 0.6 miles (1 km) to the east in an area with similar physical and environmental characteristics. At each control station, three replicate grabs and 330 feet (100 m) of underwater video will be collected. | Planned Results pending | Epsilon Associates Inc. 2022 | No data publicly available |